Greek wildfires claim 74 lives
The wildfires wreaking devastation in the Attica region around Athens have made headlines around the world as the death toll rose to 74 on Tuesday. A report in The Guardian includes accounts from witnesses, while the BBC has a series of video reports showing the extent of the tragedy. Meanwhile the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre is mobilising support to help Greece as well as areas affected by the fires in Sweden and Latvia.
EC cash for migrants offer
The European Commission has offered to pay countries €6,000 for each migrant they accept from boats traversing the Mediterranean, Reuters reports. The news agency cites a spokeswoman saying the Commission was seeking “a truly shared regional responsibility in responding to complex migration challenges.” Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini has already rejected the plan.
Keller Williams comes to Luxembourg
Leading real estate franchise Keller Williams Worldwide has announced plans to expand into Luxembourg and Belgium. The firm’s regional operating principal Olivier Vigneron said the move “marks a virtuous disruption of the market.” More on this on delano.lu as it happens.
Deloitte works on Gibraltar regulatory alignment
The UK and Gibraltar have engaged Deloitte to ensure regulatory alignment between the countries after Brexit, the Gibraltar Chronicle reports. The news comes as The Guardian reports that the Spanish government has issued a warning to the UK about the consequences for the status of the island of a “cliff-edge” Brexit.
Heathrow wants e-gates open to US travellers
Just as Luxembourg’s Findel airport gets its e-gates, which officially begin operating this Thursday, the head of Heathrow airport has called on the UK government to allow Americans to use its e-gates. “There’s no reason we should treat a passenger from the US any differently from one from Lithuania. We have 60 e-gates at Heathrow and you’ll never see them all in use,” John Holland-Kaye said in The Guardian.
EU fines 4 electronics firms
Consumer electronics companies Asus, Denon & Marantz, Philips and Pioneer have been hit with EU fines of more than €110 million for so-called “fixed or minimum resale price maintenance (RPM)”, website Techcrunch reports.
Cabbies take on Uber
London’s black-cab drivers are considering legal action against Uber, according to Sky News. The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association will argue that 25,000 black cab drivers in London suffered lost earnings averaging around £10,000 for at least five years.
Fever-Tree shares climb
Upmarket UK drinks firm Fever-Tree, which exports its flavoured tonic waters to Luxembourg, has seen sales up 45% and profits in the first six months of the year rise by a third to £34m. The news saw shares in the firm hit a record £39.87. The good showing comes on the back of what The Guardian calls “Britain’s unquenchable thirst for gin.”
Ivanka shuts fashion line
Ivanka Trump has announced that she is to shut down her eponymous fashion business. In a statement to the New York Post’s Page Six, Trump said “I do not know when or if I will ever return to the business, but I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington.”
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts